Scheduling

just suggestion for future reference and I know how much hard work goes into planning these event's, Looking at the autumn gala's coming up we seem to have a lot packed around one or two weekends, in particular the 10th & 11th. I have a feeling more have moved to this time slot than last year, but I could be wrong. Would be nice to see some event moving weekends and not always going on the same one every year as it results in the same event clashing with each other every time. On the plus side with so many event on on the same week, as long as it is sunny some where you can always chase the sun.

 

Nothing new, sadly! I believe most lines see it as the right time to hold a big weekend before reducing their service for the winter (varying from little change to total hibernation, of course!). During the Summer, you'd expect a good number of families to fill the trains anyway, and shorter days reduce the appetite for Winter galas...

 

From Swanage's point of view, we've used the second weekend in September for our gala for as long as I can remember. It is quite useful as it is just after the end of the peak holiday season, so prologing that in a way, and also it is seen as a 'thank you' to the volunteers for all their efforts in running the intensive peak season. Also from a slightly facetious point of view, the fact it is also the Swanage Folk Festival that weekend means that the smell of the great unwashed masks that of the hardcore railway enthusiasts... ;-)

I know the Mid Hants moved their Autumn gala to the same weekend a few years ago to give greater options for people in the area, although this year owing to the 'Farewell to 73096' weekend their Autumn gala has been pushed back to October instead.

 

Thats one way of putting it....

 

Agreed, this phenomena goes back to the earliest days of preservation where someone had the idea of finding out which locos will make it through the season, which won't and which will need repairs over the winter buy running all the lines locos on the same day. This is why they are traditionally around March and September.
Also there is the issue that if you run an event at the same time every year, peopole remember them automatically, for exa,ple, out steam Gala is always around september 21st, diesel gala two weeks after, and 40s events are the middle weekends of the year, meaning they asre easy to remember

 

Reading the latest SR Mag it seems to me that Tornando and the N2 seem to be at just about every Gala!!

 

Don't forget 47406 and 78019! :lol:

 

K&WVR gala and GCR autumn galas are on the same weekend (6)/7/8/9 October. Yet 17/18 September seems free of major events? Would be good if K&WVR could move their gala forward a wee bit, try to catch some better weather.

 

There's Blaenavon on the 17th & 18th

 

And the second weekend of the GWS 50th Gala!

 

And (rather nearer to the KWVR) Middleton. With over 100 heritage railways, many of which have more than one gala a year, and only 52 weekends in the year it's inevitable that some are going to clash.